11 December 2006 - DC Says Adieu To Adu

On 11 December 2006, DC United parted ways with midfielder Freddy Adu, sending him to Real Salt Lake along with goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

Adu made history when he signed for United in 2004. He was only 14 at the time, making him the youngest American athlete in over a century to sign a contract with a professional team in any sport. He played in 31 matches in his first season, primarily as a substitute, and scored 5 goals as United won both the MLS Cup and the Supporters' Shield.

He eventually earning a regular starting position by 2006, the same year in which he earned his first cap for the US national team. But he publicly complained about his lack of playing time, which undoubtedly played a role in his eventual transfer to Salt Lake. In return for Adu and Rimando, United received goakeeper Jay Nolly, a major player allocation (valued between $250,000 and $350,000), and a portion of Adu's future transfer revenue.

After just over 7 months in Salt Lake, Adu moved to Portugal to play for Benfica, who purchased his rights for $2 million. He later spent time with Monaco and Belenenses, and currently plays for Greek side Aris.

Rimando remains with Salt Lake where he won the 2009 MLS Cup and was named an MLS All-Star in 2010.

18 November 2003 - DC Likes 'Em Young

On 18 November 2003, DC United signed United States U-17 international Freddy Adu to his first professional contract, making the 14-year, 169-day old Adu the youngest athlete to sign a professional contract for a team sport in the United States in over 100 years.

Born in Ghana in 1989, Adu emigrated to the United States in 1997, becoming a US citizen in 2003. While growing up in Maryland, he quickly displayed a talent for the game. As a 10-year old, he played with the US U-14 squad and began to draw attention from noted clubs including Inter Milan and Manchester United. In January 2002, he joined the US Soccer Federation's U-17 residential program at the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Despite the interest from Europe, Adu and his family decided he should stay close to home with MLS and DC United. He made his first appearance for DC as a second-half substitute in their season opener on 3 April 2004. He played in all 30 regular season matches, finishing with five goals and three assists, and also helped DC to the 2004 MLS Cup.

Though moderately successful, Adu's time in DC was marred by complaints over playing time and positioning and, in December 2006, he moved to Real Salt Lake. He has since changed clubs a number of times, including stints at Benfica, who currently hold his contract, and loan spells with Monaco and current club Belenenses.

Before signing Adu, DC United had previously signed the league's youngest players in Bobby Convey (2000) and Santino Quaranta (2001), both of whom were 16 at the time they signed.

17 April 2004 - Adu A-Does It

On 17 April 2004, D.C. United's Freddy Adu became the youngest goalscorer in MLS history before a crowd of 31,419 at New York's Giants Stadium.

At 14 years, 320 days, the Ghanian-born U.S. international entered the match in the 54th minute, replacing Alecko Eskandarian. D.C. was trailing 3-1 when Adu put a six-yard shot past Metrostars goalkeeper Jonny Walker in the 75th minute. That was the last goal of the match, however, which ended 3-2 in favor of the MetroStars.

Despite the loss, D.C. went on to win the MLS Cup that year, with Eskandarian claiming the honors for the league's Most Valuable Player.

Adu stayed with United through the 2005-06 season, making a total of 87 appearances and scoring 11 goals. He then transferred to Real Salt Lake for the 2006-07 season, before moving on the Portuguese side Benfica. He is currently on loan with A.S. Monaco.

Photo copyrighted by Bill Kostroun - AP.